Bird flu national lockdown

Paddington

Member
Location
Soggy Shropshire
The one in 2016/17 lasted for about three months according to my diary, we put a cover over the hens inner run in December and got a heavy fall of snow not long after which brought the whole thing down. The ducks were under a wooden poultry run during the day, was a pain trying to give them a clean water supply, they'd either cr*p in it or knock the thing over. There was a tarp roof which caught the wind one night and we found the thing smashed against a fence in the morning. Happy days, not !
 

britt

Member
BASE UK Member
I have about 150 traditional and rare breeds. Locked up safe at night in various coops and runs. That's how they are. That's how their staying.
Then you will only have yourself to blame if those breeds become even rarer.
If your birds become infected you are obliged to inform the APHA and you will then have to explain how they were exposed to it.
 
I'll do that.
When we had the first outbreak a few years back I spent hundreds of pounds and a week covering all my runs over. The same week a contractor dumped about 60 tons of litter from a poultry shed 3 fields away. Ever crow in the county were all over it. I reported it and nothing was done.
 

Gong Farmer

Member
BASIS
Location
S E Glos
Wife saw something on the web whilst reading something else otherwise we wouldn't have known about it. Fortunately the hen house is next to a large fruit cage (which should be bird proof) so we made a tunnel between the two and they can tidy up among the fruit bushes for a few weeks.
 

Ukjay

Member
Location
Wales!
Does Heras fencing keep wild birds out?
Asking for a friend.

I am led to believe that in order to stop sparrows, finches etc you need a mesh sub 25mm - but it states you are also supposed to prevent rats / mice etc getting in which is a real issue imho, as them buggars get everywhere.
 
your better at free-range/mobile any fixed infrastructure gets the rodents - and the more rodents the higher the chance... Surely we want a avian flock which is healthy from AF? weve seen that with covid that lockdowns slow but dont fix - so maybe having traditional robust breeds is the way foward - or not shutting down and reaping the consequences? I know that the birds will be getting decreasingly healthy/happy (?) every day locked in.
 

Ukjay

Member
Location
Wales!
I know our inherited duck house and hen house has rodents under it - and the bloody things are the size of dogs by the size of their crap left behind.
I didnt want the bloody things - but as normal get over ruled, and now we need to frikin prevent wild critters from mixing with them..
Need to get out and start shooting a few of the rats, try and get the numbers down a bit - plus find out where I can get a couple of 2-3 year old barn cats locally needing a nice home.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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    Votes: 30 16.1%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 6 3.2%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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